People are selfish taking across pavements

[Marypoppins19]

It makes it so hard to socially distance. I don’t get why people can’t see this is so selfish to people waking with kids or the elderly who then have to walk on the road?
Was i being unreasonable to point this out to a block who clearly didn’t agree with me 🤦‍♀️😂

Sounds like a proper blockhead

He was in his gym gear, tanned to within an inch of his Lycra, and then moved further up talking someone else on our way back - like the whole thing didn’t apply to him

YANBU. Last week I had to try and navigate people having a 4 way socially distanced conversation which involved both sides of pavement taken and 2 people in the road. Everyone else had to go within half a metre of one of these people to get by. So selfish.

You're right. They should stay at home and not speak to anyone and kill themselves due to loneliness and depression just so you're not inconvenienced on you walk by having to walk around them.

And given how quiet the roads are now there is no excuse for cycling on pavements, but people still do it and expect me to get out of their way.

You can't control what other people do. If you can't cope with them passing you momentarily then you should just stay at home. You need to educate yourself on the virus. He just passed you not ideal but hardly the same as licking your face.

No, he was blocking the pavement.
I don’t need to educate myself thank you

But if he's just one person and you're a group with kids or elderly surely you're the ones who block the pavement? Easier to walk around one person than a whole group no?

I dont understand your thread title or what he was actually doing that was wrong

So are you saying that single healthy people shouldn't walk on the pavement in case a family with kids goes by or something?

Depends on how you "pointed it out" really. "excuse me but would you mind stepping away for a moment while I pass" is much more like to get a result than "Um could you move I'm trying to get past!!"

I find it's people with kids blocking the pavements where I am. 🤷‍♀️ Either insisting on walking alongside each other or the kids running off ahead going back and forth over the path.

I think the OP means talking not taking in her thread title. So if you have two people talking across the pavement, they may be an appropriate distance from each other, but anyone going past has to go out on to the road, and two metres out into the road at that.

I had this, in a different context last night. I went to Morrisons to do the weekly shop, very late. Only a couple of other customers. Two assistants talking to each other at the right distance, but one on either side of the central aisle, the one that goes crossways. So I had to either do a massive detour round other aisles, or walk between them. They didn't see why it was a problem.

Unless they cough on you or lick your face as you hurry past them I doubt if a virus would jump on you that quickly. However I do get annoyed at people talking to each other on a pavement width ways instead of keeping a distance sideways.

This drives me mad and I urge those of you who feel the same to stop and call out to the selfish chatters that they should move so they are both on the same side of the pavement/path whilst maintaining 2 metre gap between them so that everyone else can pass at a safe distance. That is what I am going to do from now on, anyway.

It's obvious that the op means people who stand opposite one another width ways across the pavements, meaning anyone else has to walk between them or in the road.

It's the same selfishness as car drivers who stop in the road and open their window to have a chat to a pedestrian (blocking half the road) or someone in a car going the other way, who obviously also stops in the road, blocking the entire road.

How obtuse are people being thinking the OP means she wants people to be lonely she just wants them to stand on the same side of the pavement, 2 meters apart, instead of thoughtlessly or egotistically and pointlessly inconveniencing everyone else.

I think the OP means talking not taking in her thread title. So if you have two people talking across the pavement, they may be an appropriate distance from each other, but anyone going past has to go out on to the road, and two metres out into the road at that

But they don't. Passing someone at less than 2m very briefly isn't going to transmit the virus.

YetiAnotherNameChange regardless of how long it takes to transmit the virus (and selfish fuckwits are probably more prone than the average human to cough or sneeze on someone walking between them and their mate, if their body needed to cough or sneeze at that moment) there's no need.

Why defend the rights of the selfish to stand width ways across the pavement, meaning passers by have to walk between them, instead of two meters apart on the same side, still getting to have a socially distanced conversation and inconveniencing nobody.

blocks can be very unreasonable.

This drives me mad and I urge those of you who feel the same to stop and call out to the selfish chatters

If you're that bothered and worried you should probably just stay inside

Lots of people out today here walking several abreast and not distancing at all. Some multigenerational families, some groups of young people; it's possible they all cohabit, here in student land.

All of the people on their own were behaving properly and politely.

meaning passers by have to walk between them, instead of two meters apart on the same side but the landscape wasn't designed for this pandemic. We're having to adapt. There will be occasions when it won't be possible to adhere to this arbitrary 2m rule due to logistics or another person's interpretation of the guidelines. Sneezes and coughs can travel much further than 2m! They don't hit an invisible wall at 2m then fall to the ground! So no point getting anxious about it and making yourself sick that way. You're never going to be able to control everyone. So you need to stay calm and come up with a strategy you can cope with for your own wellbeing. No amount of complaining on MN is going to change how other people behave.

brassbrass I already can't socially distance at work because of the nature of the work and the patients. However people who can think through a situation and choose not to, or decide they're more important than anyone else and have the right to prevent others adhering to social distancing, deserve a good dose of judgement and the evil eye.

None of us need any more avoidable hurdles in our path or weight on our viral load.

Having to adapt doesn't mean making decisions for other people by preventing strangers following social distancing unless it's unavoidable.

Some people are happy to inconvenience lots of others instead of walking a little bit further to a place with enough space to have their socially distanced chat. That's either self involved thoughtlessness or just ego, in most cases.

already can't socially distance at work because of the nature of the work and the patients

I'm sorry but this is your real risk. Not the two seconds it takes to walk past someone on a path. Oh and judge away give them all the evils but ultimately you're damaging yourself by increasing your own stress and anxiety.

Thank you poolsofsunshine

“It's obvious that the op means people who stand opposite one another width ways across the pavements”

That’s just it. So the elderly man behind me had to walk into the road and around them as I had to also do - it is selfish.